Roth reveals key to winning over Tasmania

The Tasmania JackJumpers have been a hit since they entered the NBL during the 2021-22 season, and now their AFL state counterparts, the Devils, are aiming to follow suit.

The Devils this week took their next step to joining the AFL as its 19th team in 2028 by announcing Ken Hinkley as their inaugural coach.

One man who knows all about coaching on the Apple Isle is JackJumpers’ Scott Roth, who offered advice to his Tasmanian counterpart.

"This state is big, and people want to see you," Roth said to the ABC.

"They want to see you in the coffee shops, they want to see you in the gas station, they want to see you going through the supermarket or wherever. You've gotta be out there pressing the flesh."

>> NBL27 Roster Tracker: Every signing, extension and departure

As well as having a presence in the state, Roth has encouraged the Devils to recruit players that the state can relate to.

"It's a working-class state, so you need workers. You need humble. You don't want guys flying around in bars and doing crazy things," Roth said.

"I find that's what works here … the more humble a player you can get, with a high character, the better off you'll be."

Incoming coach Hinkley credited his Tasmania counterparts, who are aiming to emulate their success within the state.

“Community involvement [has] been really important from what I heard, from the way they've gone about it,” Hinkley said during his introductory press conference.

“You can see the four and a half thousand people at the stadium going crazy, and it’s amazing what it does when you get that many people on the same team in the stadium.

“We're going to be a part of the JackJumpers, and hopefully with the facility out at Kingston where we are, we're going to be sharing it with them and being a part of it.

“That's the greatness of Tasmania, we're all in every sport together.”

As it stands, the JackJumpers have Taran Armstrong, Will Magnay, Josh Bannan, Ben Ayre, Majok Deng, Anthony Drmic, Bryce Hamilton, David Johnson, Dakota Mathias, Nick Marshall, Archie Woodhill and Ben Gold under contract for the NBL27 season.

Read the full story here >> JackJumpers Roth's advice for inaugural Tasmania Devils AFL coach Ken Hinkley